The Sydney Swans have powered through wild conditions to defeat the Western Bulldogs by 29 points in the second elimination final at Henson Park, keeping its premiership hopes alive with a 7.4 (46) to 2.5 (17) victory.
The wind-assisted City End proved far more lucrative, accounting for seven of the game’s nine goals, with the Marrickville End yielding just two.
Although the Bulldogs edged the inside-50 count (36-35) and the sides finished level in clearances (28-28), the Swans proved far more efficient in trying conditions, converting 20 per cent of their entries compared to the Dogs’ five per cent.
The Bulldogs won the disposal count (254-201), but no player was more impactful around the contest than Tanya Kennedy, who laid a game-high 17 tackles.
Both teams received a boost ahead of the clash, with Sofia Hurley (ankle) returning for the Swans, while the Dogs welcomed back co-captain Isabelle Pritchard (knee) and Ellie Blackburn (managed). With key personnel returning, the midfield battle took centre stage.
Blackburn immediately led the way for the Bulldogs, collecting a game-high 29 disposals, while Alice Edmonds dominated the ruck with 42 hit-outs. Hurley, however, had a quiet return for Sydney in limited game time.
Instead, Laura Gardiner led the Swans with 22 disposals, while Amelia Martin proved the difference up forward as the game’s only multiple goalscorer.
Sydney exploded out of the blocks, winning the opening clearance before Lucy McEvoy's long kick bounced through for a goal after just 19 seconds, tying the record for the fastest opening goal in an AFLW final.
Tanya Kennedy soon snapped a second from an angle, before Molloy evaded a tackle to set up Cynthia Hamilton’s curler as the Swans converted their first three inside-50 entries into goals. The Bulldogs, despite controlling the early stoppages, could not generate scoreboard pressure.
Amelia Martin then snuck forward as Sydney’s relentless pressure pinned the Bulldogs in defence through eight consecutive scoreless chains. The Swans capitalised with 3.0 (18) from turnovers and clearances while conceding just a rushed behind, taking a 24-point lead into quarter-time.
The breeze helped Sydney dominate field position in the opening term, but the momentum began to shift with the Bulldogs kicking with the wind in the second. Ellie Blackburn found space and danced around her opponents to snap their opening goal.
Despite Sydney struggling to move the ball into the wind and Mizuki Brothwell temporarily leaving the field with a hamstring concern, Molloy excelled in a defensive role, gathering five disposals, five contested possessions, two clearances and three rebound 50s to help the Swans hold firm.
The Bulldogs maintained the pressure and locked the ball in their forward half, but were inefficient inside 50 and failed to capitalise on their dominance.
They held Sydney scoreless for the quarter but trimmed the deficit by only seven points, leaving the Swans with a 17-point buffer at half-time.
Molloy was rewarded for her work with a goal in the third term before Martin snapped another from just inside the 50m line. The Swans remained ruthlessly efficient, scoring from all three of their inside-50 entries for the quarter.
Hartwig finally broke the drought at the Marrickville End, kicking the Bulldogs' first goal into the wind.
Sydney held a 23-point lead at the last break, with the Bulldogs having the final use of the wind in the fourth.
A goal from Taylor Smith against the breeze extended the Swans' lead to a game-high 30 points.
Kennedy shines in dual role
Tanya Kennedy blanketed Isabelle Pritchard with a relentless tag, restricting her to just seven disposals by half-time and 14 for the game. Kennedy followed the Bulldogs star around stoppages, denying her the time and space to influence the contest as Sydney curbed one of the opposition’s most damaging midfielders. But Kennedy’s impact extended beyond the shutdown role, winning plenty of the ball herself and pushing forward to hurt the Dogs. She finished with 16 disposals, four clearances, 17 tackles and a goal.
Molloy’s defensive shift pays dividends for Swans
After starting the game up forward, Chloe Molloy dropped back to counter the strong breeze, stationing herself as a spare behind the ball in the second term. She read the play superbly, directing her defenders and winning key contested possessions while Sarah Hartwig tracked her only loosely. The luxury of sending the League’s leading goalkicker into defence paid immediate dividends, with Vaomua Laloifi also attempting to occupy Molloy and drag another Dogs player into the contest. Molloy then returned to attack and kicked Sydney’s first goal since the opening quarter. She entered the game in devastating form, having kicked 12 goals across her previous three games to claim the AFLW Leading Goalkicker award with a record 28 for the home-and-away season.
McEvoy’s early bomb equals finals record
Swans skipper Lucy McEvoy struck just 19 seconds into the game, winding up from range to kick the equal-fastest opening goal in AFLW finals history. After Sydney won the opening clearance, McEvoy’s long kick bounced through to give the Swans the perfect start and immediately capitalise on the breeze. It set the tone for a blistering opening term, with Sydney’s pressure, territory and efficiency overwhelming the Bulldogs as they quickly established control of the game.
Up next
While the Western Bulldogs' season has come to an end, Sydney will now travel to face Geelong in the second semi-final, with the Swans hoping to play at GMHBA Stadium after a prior Superbikes booking forced the Cats' qualifying final to Ikon Park.
SYDNEYÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4.1Â Â 4.1Â Â 6.4Â Â 7.4 (46)
WESTERN BULLDOGSÂ Â 0.1Â Â 1.2Â Â 2.3Â Â 2.5 (17)
GOALS
Sydney:Â Martin 2, McEvoy, Kennedy, C.Hamilton, Molloy, Smith
Western Bulldogs:Â Blackburn, Hartwig
BEST
Sydney:Â Kennedy, Molloy, Quinn, McEvoy, Gardiner, Martin
Western Bulldogs:Â Edmonds, Blackburn, Woodley, Cann, Hartwig, Wilcox
INJURIES
Sydney:Â Nil
Western Bulldogs:Â Nil
LATE CHANGES
Sydney:Â Nil
Western Bulldogs:Â Nil
Crowd:Â 4325 at Henson Park
